Pet collar

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a collar device that limits the head movement for a canine or feline pet while the pet is recuperating from surgery or injury. The collar may be fitted with removable ear guards. The collar is capable of being coupled to a leash so the animal can be taken on a walk with the protective collar in an operative position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/707,249 filed on Feb. 13, 2007 which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/772,719 filed Feb. 13, 2006, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a collar device that limits an injured pet'saccess to portions of its head and body during convalescence. Morespecifically, this invention relates to a collar which prevents a petfrom clawing its head with its paws, while also limiting access of itsmouth to the rest of its body.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Canines and felines often undergo surgeries or sustain injuries. Thesites of such surgeries or injuries are manifold. In addition, there arespecifically targeted surgical sites. For example, for select breeds ofdogs such as Boxers, Great Danes, Doberman Pincers, Miniature Pincers,Schnauzers, Bouviers des Flandres, and American Pit Bull Terriers, asurgical procedure (ear cropping) is performed on the dog so that theears will stand erect on the dog's head to a point, instead of havingthe ears flop down on the head. Oftentimes the ears require constantbandaging and support via a splint to facilitate up-right positioning ofthe ears. During this process, the dog may become agitated and attemptto scratch its ears. This tendency to scratch the wound site hasprompted protective devices to appear on the market.

To prevent an animal from licking or biting an area on its body orscratching its head, a plastic frusto-conical shaped collar, such as anElizabethan collar (U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,554 issued May 29, 1962 to F. L.Johnson), often is fitted around the neck of an animal. This collarextends radially from the head and restricts movement of the neck. Thecone protrusion prevents the pet from contacting its body or legs withits mouth and head and thus prevents the pet from scratching and lickinga wound.

While the cone may prevent a pet from reaching an affected area, it isdisadvantageous as it restricts the pet's line of sight and constitutesan encumbrance to the pet. For example, with an Elizabethan collar, apet cannot lie comfortably in a reposed position as the Elizabethancollar prevents the head from lying flat on the floor.

A variation of the Elizabethan collar, currently marketed as theTrimline Recovery Collar, differs from the basic Elizabethan collardesign by employing softer materials in its construction, therebyaffording the animal some increase in comfort. However, it stillrestricts the pet's line of sight.

Another recovery collar is the Soft E-Collar. It is a variation of theElizabethan collar wherein the conical shape is replaced by a shorter,more doughnut-shaped collar. While this widens the pet's field of visionsomewhat, its placement on the animal does not appear to be secureexcept, perhaps, in those instances where the pet happens to also wear aregular collar and where the Soft E-Collar is securely attached to thepet's regular collar. Also, the Soft E-Collar provides little protectionto the pet's ears in the event of surgery or trauma in that area of itsbody.

Another doughnut-shaped recovery collar available on the market is thePro Collar. This collar is inflatable. As such, it can be more securelyattached to the pet than the Soft E-Collar over a wide range ofcircumstances. However, its reliance on inflation represents ashortcoming, inasmuch as either the pet's own scratching or contact witha sharp or rough object may result in deflation of the collar andconsequent exposure of the animal's wounds or other trauma sites to newdangers. Another recovery collar device is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,469,814 issued Nov. 28, 1995, to Moy et al. This device avoids some ofthe shortcomings of the Elizabethan collar. However, its shape is thatof a cylinder. Because of this cylindrical geometry, the device does notpermit certain movements of the animal's head that would afford theanimal greater comfort. Also it does not incorporate necessaryrestrictions to head movement. Finally, this invention fails to provideany protection for the ear or ears of an animal that has a wound,surgical or otherwise, in that region.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a device that facilitatescomfortable, yet protective recuperation of an injured animal, includingan animal with injured ears.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pet collar thatovercomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art. The presentinvention provides a means to walk an animal on a leash while it isfitted with a collar which isolates the head from the rest of theanimal's body.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a collar thathas high tensile strength allowing for the types of tension ordeformation typically imposed by the movements of an animal that iswearing the device. A feature of the invention is that the collarincorporates a flexible (i.e. nonrigid) yet impact-resistant material,such as a plastic, as one of its layers, thus simultaneously providingboth flexibility and protection from impact. This layer may also beribbed, thus enhancing its flexibility and impact resistance. Anadvantage of the invention is that the material imparts a bias of thecollar back to the head-forward configuration of the wearer such thatthe collar applies medially directed pressure to the animal's neck toprompt the animal to return its head to a forward looking orientation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a collar thatrestricts side-to-side or up-and-down neck movement of an animal whilestill affording the animal some freedom of motion. A feature of theinvention is a plurality of arc-shaped rigid plastic members positionedbetween an impact resistant outer shell and a reversibly deformableinner shell of the collar such that the edge of a distal edge of thedevice (i.e., the edge closest to the animal's head near the front ofthe neck) curves inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of the collar.Another feature of the invention is that a proximal edge (i.e., the edgeclosest to the animal's body and further from the head) does not curveaway from the animal. In one embodiment, the proximal edge curvesinwardly toward the animal's body when worn by the animal. An advantageof the intermediate layer is that the straight proximal edge induces apressure point reflex when the animal attempts to move its head fromside-to-side more than necessary for adequate peripheral vision.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a collar whichprotects the ears of an animal. A feature of the invention is an outershell that is adapted to reversibly but rigidly receive impact resistantear guards. An advantage of this invention is that it immobilizes andprotects the ears from the paws of the pet and from elements in theenvironment.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a collar toconfer comfort to a recuperating animal. A feature of this invention isthat the collar has an interior shell lined with a soft fabric along itsinner surface. Another feature is that one or more layers of softmaterial, such as foam, can be interposed between an impact resistantbut flexible outer layer and the aforementioned soft liner. An advantageof the soft fabric and the foam is that they provide a medium contactingthe pet's body which minimizes chafing of the skin of the animal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means ofaeration of portions of the animal's body that are covered by theinvented device. A feature of this invention is a plurality of openingsthat fully pass through all surfaces of the device, which openings arepositioned at selected locations. An advantage of this invention is thatfluid exchange with, and access to the animal's body surface residingunder the collar is facilitated.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustablepet collar. A feature of the collar is that it is fitted around the neckof an animal via a hook and pile closure means, such as Velcro.®. Anadvantage of this feature is that the collar fits an assortment of necksizes and can be adjusted for a tight fit around a particular animal'sneck. Another advantage of this feature is that the shape of the collarmay be varied depending on the characteristics of the animal: the collarmay be made to flare out near the head, to assume a cylindrical shape,to flare out at the shoulders, or to curve inwardly (i.e., toward themedial line of the collar) toward the animal's shoulders to provide ameans to discourage or otherwise minimize yaw or side-to-side headmotion of the animal.

An embodiment of this invention is a first material that provides thenecessary combination of impact resistance and flexibility, a layer orsequence of layers underlying this first material, and a second materialthat overlies the first material. Typically this overlying secondmaterial is adapted to protect the impact resistant but flexiblematerial from buffeting and exposure to the elements. Also, typically,this overlying second material provides a medium for the placement ofattachments, such as a leash, identification tags, medicament pouches,and the like. An advantage of this invention is that it provides adevice that combines flexibility and impact resistance.

Briefly, the invention provides a pet protection device adapted to beworn or otherwise received about the neck of the pet, comprising anouter shell having a first surface and second surface; an inner shellpositioned parallel to and in close spatial relationship to said secondsurface; and a substrate defining a plurality of ribs and positionedintermediate said outer shell and said inner shell. A major advantage ofthis invention includes providing greater comfort to the animal and morefreedom of motion for its head while still restricting the pet's accessto healing sites on its body. A second advantage of this invention isthat it offers, optionally, a means of protecting one or both of thepet's ears.

Also provided is a protective pet collar comprising a generallyrectangular and flat construct a defining a forward edge and a rearwardedge such that the construct is worn so that the forward edge ispositioned in close spatial relationship to the head of the pet whilethe rearward edge is positioned remote from the head of the pet; a firstportion of said first forward edge, which when the collar is worn, ispositioned inferior to the animal's neck, the edge defining a region forallowing the pet to lower its head; and a second portion of the firstforward edge, which when the collar is worn, said second portion ispositioned superior to the animal's neck and adapted to removablyreceive ear guards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention can bebetter understood from the accompanying drawing whereby:

FIG. 1 is a perspective elevation of a collar in an operative position(i.e. deployed configuration) in accordance with features of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective elevation of another embodiment of the collar inan operative position (i.e. deployed configuration) with ear guardsattached, in accordance with features of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top (outer) plan view of the collar in an undeployed (i.e.open or flat) position in accordance with features of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a forward view elevation of the collar depicted in FIG. 1 inan operative position (i.e. deployed configuration) in accordance withfeatures of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inside of an undeployed collar in anundeployed (i.e. open or flat) position in accordance with features ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the collar in an operative position takenalong line 6-6 of FIG. 1 in accordance with features of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 a is a perspective elevation of an alternative embodiment of asingle ear cover in accordance with features of the present invention;

FIG. 7 b is a cross-section of the single ear cover taken along line 7b-7 b of FIG. 7 a in accordance with features of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a is a perspective elevation of the collar in an operativeposition (i.e. deployed configuration) with a cut-away showing plasticsupports on the outer shell and flexible members of the intermediatelayer in accordance with the features of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of an embodiment of an intermediate layer ofthe collar in an undeployed flat position in accordance with features ofthe present invention;

FIG. 10 a is a perspective elevation of an alternative embodiment of acollar in accordance with the features of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 b is a perspective elevation of an alternative embodiment of acollar in accordance with the features of the present invention;

FIG. 10 c is a perspective elevation of an alternative embodiment of theinvented collar, in accordance with features of the present presentinvention; and

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of another embodiment of an intermediatelayer of the collar in an undeployed flat position in accordance withfeatures of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for a protective collar, generallydesignated as numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The collar is shown in an operative(deployed) position.

The device is defined by an outer shell 12 comprising animpact-resistant yet non-rigid material such as plastic. The outer shellmaterial also comprises water-resistant material to keep the outershellportion of the collarfree of moisture. Flexible members or supports suchas plastic “ribs” 16 (see FIG. 8) may contact the surface of the outershell to confer rigidity and structural support to the device. Theseribs can be embedded into the surface so as to confer a smooth textureto the surface. These supports extend generally parallel to thedirection of the animal's spine (i.e. from the occiput to the withers ofa dog, thereby immobilizing its neck and crest.) and could be eitherremovably received by the surface, via frictional engagement, snap fitengagement, slidably received by the surface, or else integrally moldedtherewith. In the alternative, a semi-rigid substrate (such as plastic)may be located intermediate the outer shell and an inner shell.

Passageways 19 for air circulation, medication administration, or todisplay identification, are provided, whereby the passageways aretransverse apertures extending through all layers of the collar toexpose a portion of the animal's body residing beneath the collar. Also,regions of the outer layer may define one or more pockets 37 or othermeans for the storage of medications, identification means, or othersupplies.

At a forward edge 11 of the collar 10 (i.e., one nearest to the animal'shead) the collar defines a medially directed curved region 41 (i.e.,directed perpendicularly toward the longitudinal axis .alpha. of thecollar, see FIG. 3), such that when the collar is worn, the curvedregion is in close spatial relationship to the animal's throat to allowthe animal to rotate its head from a horizontal orientation to a headdown (eyes on the ground) orientation. This feature allows the animal tolook down without having to crouch or otherwise move its entire upperbody. Similarly, a rearward edge 43 of the collar defines a laterallydirected region of the collar or bulge which results in the collarextending downwardly away from the head and toward the upper chest ofthe animal. This laterally extending edge, whereby the bulge is directedperpendicularly away from the longitudinal axis .alpha. of the collar,confers added stability to the collar.

Also proximal to the edge 11 are located regions defining hook-and-pileconnectors (e.g. Velcro.®. strips) 18 (see FIG. 3) to whichcomplementary surfaces of ear guards 30 (see FIG. 2) are attached.

Aside from hook-and-pile connectors, snaps, zippers or other ear guardattachment means can be utilized.

Once attached to the collar, the ear guards 30 are further secured by aperipherally extending strap 62 that encircles an outwardly facingsurface of the collar to close the collar about the animal's neck. Thestrap, so engaged, simultaneously frictionally engages an outward facingsurface, proximal region of the ear guards (i.e., near the point ofattachment of the ear guards to the collar), such that the proximalregion is sandwiched or otherwise positioned intermediate an outwardlyfacing surface of the collar and the strap. Generally the strap has onefree end 63 which terminates with hook-and-pile, snap-, or otherclosure-means, so as to interact with similar complementary connectorson the outwardly facing surface of the collar. Another end of the strap65 is not free to adjustably interact with the collar. Rather this end65 is either removably attached or sown into the collar. In thisconfiguration, the free end of the strap can serve as an impromptu leashor restraining rope, inasmuch as the collar is already provided withprimary closure means 24, discussed supra.

Also, one or more highly reflective strips may be included on the outershell surface 12.

FIG. 2 is a perspective elevation of the invented collar in an operativeposition (i.e. deployed configuration). This figure shows the ear guardsattached to the collar, and the strap 62 encircling the collar to bothfurther secure the ear guards underlaying the strap, and to provide asecondary means to secure the collar in place on the animal.

FIG. 3 shows the collar in a flat (i.e. undeployed) position with theouter layer 57 in view. The outer layer defines an outer shell 12. Thecollar defines a longitudinal axis .alpha.

A region 24 of hook-and-pile closure (e.g. Velcro.®.) in the shape of apatch, strip, or other configuration is arranged along a transverse edge15 of the collar to effect closure of the collar to form theconfiguration depicted in FIG. 1. Also depicted in FIG. 3 is a strip ofhook-and-pile closure 63 such as Velcro.®. to effect closure of thestrap 62.

FIG. 5 shows the collar in a flat (i.e. undeployed) position with theinner layer 58 in view. The inner layer defines an inner shell 14.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the collar in an operative position takenalong line 6-6 of FIG. 1. Intermediate the inner and outer shells is asubstrate 26 defining an impact-resistant layer 40 depicted in FIG. 6.The intermediate layer 40 provides a means for substantially rigidstructural support for the device. FIG. 9 depicts the intermediate layerseparated and detached from the collar. In one embodiment, the layerincorporates flexible plastic webbing in contact with flexible membersor “ribs” 16. Intermediate said ribs are located ventilation apertures19. The ribs are arranged substantially parallel to each other, andextend in the same direction as the animal's spine along the surfacedefined by the web. The layer 40 may be substantially planar, orfrusto-conical or hour-glass or combined frusto-conical and hour-glassin shape when the device is closed to form a collar. (See FIGS. 10 a, 10b, and 10 c).

The webbing further comprises hook-and-pile connectors 22, such asVelcro.®. configurations to connect with complementary Velcro.®.connectors on the inner shell. These connectors confer the ability toattach or detach the impact-resistant layer from the inner shelldepending on need.

In another embodiment, depicted in FIG. 8, the intermediate layercontains a plurality of elongate arcuate shaped supports 43 arrangedparallel to each other. The arcuate supports 43 are further arrangedsuch that the concave surfaces of the arcuate supports face toward theanimal's neck when the device is worn so as to be adapted to nest withand receive the complementary convex topography of the animal's neck. Inthis embodiment, the arcuate-shaped supports may comprise semi-rigidplastic or a reversibly deformable material, such as metal, so as toallow the intermediate layer to be reversibly form-fitted about theperiphery of the neck of the animal. As such, the arcuate supportsextend in a direction generally perpendicular to that of the animal'sspine (See FIG. 8).

In an embodiment of the collar, and as depicted in FIG. 1, a region ofthe collar defines a leash ring 20 or a means to attach a leash ring tothe collar. One such means is an aperture that extends transverselythrough the outer shell and inner shell to which a leash can beconnected. The periphery of the aperture comprises a ring, a grommet, orother such substrate to secure a leash attachment.

To facilitate closure of the collar about the animal's neck, ahook-and-pile closure is envisioned whereby one portion of the closure(i.e., a hook-side surface 23 is present on the inner shell (See FIG.5). A complementary pile or loop-side layer 23 is present on the outershell (See FIG. 3). The hook-side and pile-side layer mate to facilitateclosure of the collar. The layers can be manipulated to adjust to ananimal's specific neck diameter. These closure layers should be wideenough so that the shape of the collar may be varied depending on thecharacteristics of the animal: the collar may be made to flare out nearthe head, to assume a cylindrical shape, to flare out at the shoulders,or to converge inwardly at the shoulders (see FIGS. 10 a, 10 b, and 10c).

FIG. 10 a depicts an alternative embodiment of the invented collar. Asshown in FIG. 10 a, the ribs 16 are spaced closer together at a firstend 11 of the device than at the opposite second end 13 so as to definea frusto-conical volume. FIG. 10 b depicts another alternativeembodiment where the collar assumes an hour-glass shape. FIG. 10 cdepicts an embodiment whereby the proximal end 13 of the collar curvesinwardly toward the surface of the animal, so as to extend in a medialdirection toward the axis of the collar so as to assume a combinedhour-glass and frusto-conical shape.

FIG. 11 depicts another alternative embodiment of the flexible membersin the intermediate layer of the invented collar. As shown in FIG. 11the ribs 16 are replaced by helical coils 76 extending perpendicular tothe hook and pile closure means 22, i.e., in a direction parallel to theanimal's spine. In the alternative, helical coils may extend parallel tothe closure means 22 (i.e., extending around the animal's neck such thatthe coils substantially circumscribe the animal's neck when the collaris worn). The coils 76 can be fabricated of wire or of the same flexibleplastic materials as the ribs. As with the ribs, the coils are biased toextend in a predetermined direction so as to return back to thatpredetermined configuration after flection. The coils also providereversible elongation and compression along their axes.

Attachment points 18 at a distal (i.e., forward facing) edge, andtherefore in a close spatial relationship to an animal's occiput, of theouter shell provide a means for connecting protective ear covers orguards to the collar 10 (See FIG. 3). These attachment points maycomprise a hook-and-pile assembly wherein a hook-side closure layer isattached to the outer shell while a complementary loop-side layer 78 ispositioned at the protective ear cover, or vice versa. In anotherembodiment, the ear guards may be received by snap-on means. When not inuse, the ear covers can be tied, snapped to, or otherwise reversiblyattached to the collar so as to be removably stowed on the collar.

Shown in FIG. 2, is a preferred embodiment for the ear guards 30. Thisear guard configuration comprises a single rigid shield which serves asa barrier between the ear and any medially directed force. It does notencircle the ear, but rather is positioned in close spatial relationshipto the ear.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 7 a, the ear cover 30 is shaped tofit over a pet's ear. In this embodiment, the cover is approximatelyellipsoidal in cross-section (See FIG. 7 b) so as to be adapted toslidably receive an ear and to encapsulate or encircle substantially theentire ear, extending beyond the distal tip of the ear. The ear coversare defined by an outer shell 34 comprising rigid plastic material. Theouter shell material also comprises water-resistant material to keep theexterior of the cover and ear free of moisture. The inner layer definesan inner shell 32. The inner shell comprises of soft material suitableto confer comfort to the animal's ear. Generally, reversibly deformablematerial is utilized so that the ear guards are removably snapped intoposition. For example, the inner shell material comprises foam, cotton,fleece fabric, or a fluid resistant cushion, similar to that used forthe inner layer of the collar.

The ear covers are provided in a variety of sizes to ensure that a widerange of species of canine and feline ears accommodated. The ear covershave a Velcro.®. strip 38 capable of attachment to a Velcro.®. receivingpoint on the collar 18. In one embodiment, the ear cover defines atraverse aperture 35 to confer access to the ear canal in instanceswhere dressings must be periodically inspected, for drainage, or whereear drops need to be administered. Optionally, a flap (not shown)occludes the aperture to keep out dust and moisture. As such, theaperture is adapted to receive drainage tubes, ear droppers, etc.

Optionally, a first planar side 33 of the ear guard depicted in FIG. 7defines a longitudinally-extending slit 36 which extends through alllayers of the ear cover defining the first planar side. Opposing edgesof the slit 36 comprise complementary closure surfaces, such as ahook-and-pile arrangement, a tongue and groove arrangement, a zipperarrangement, etc. In this embodiment, the ear cover is opened along theslit in a gate-like fashion to facilitate deployment of the cover aboutthe ear of animal by “wrapping” the cover about the ear instead ofsliding the cover over the ear.

While the invention has been described in the foregoing specificationwith reference to the detailed illustrated embodiment, these details arenot intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

1. A pet protection device comprising: an outer shell having a firstsurface and second surface and a first edge, a second edge, a third edgeand a fourth edge, wherein the first edge is opposite the second edgeand the third edge is opposite the fourth edge; a longitudinal axis αgenerally extending from the third edge to the fourth edge; an innershell positioned parallel to and in close spatial relationship to saidsecond surface; and a semi-rigid substrate positioned intermediate saidouter shell and said inner shell and having a forward edge whichincludes a curved region directed perpendicularly toward thelongitudinal axis α of the device; and wherein said semi-rigid substratecomprises a plurality of flexible members and said flexible memberscomprise ribs positioned generally parallel to each other, the devicefurther comprising regions between the ribs defining apertures extendingtransversely through the device.
 2. The device as recited in claim 1wherein the semi-rigid substrate extends from said first edge to saidsecond edge.
 3. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein said third edgeremovably receives said fourth edge to define a collar.
 4. The device ofclaim 1 further comprising the semi-rigid substrate including a rearwardedge which includes a bulge which is directed perpendicularly away fromthe longitudinal axis α of the device.
 5. The device recited in claim 4further comprising a first arcuate member and a second arcuate member,said first and second members received by a region of the outer shell inclose spatial relation to said first edge so as to shield the ears ofthe pet.
 6. The device as recited in claim 5 wherein the first andsecond arcuate members comprise a rigid outer shell and a reversiblydeformable inner shell.
 7. The device as recited in claim 5 wherein thefirst and second arcuate members are removably received.